Kamiel Maase, Holland’s 1995 5,000-meter champion, won Sunday morning’s Congress Avenue Mile, 10 seconds faster than his nearest rival, clocking in at 4 minutes, 6 seconds. Mardrea Hyman, from Clarendon, Jamaica, had an even wider margin of victory in the women’s race, checking in at 4:36, 21 seconds ahead of Keri Freeman’s 4:57.

Both Maase and Hyman each missed an extra cash prize by six seconds a sub-4 minute for the men and sub-4:30 for the women would have paid them each $500. “I really haven’t been training for the mile,” said Maase, a former University of Texas track star, who currently helps out with coaching at UT. “It was pretty tough. I’m still working on my speed.”

Maase ran an even-paced race despite the lack of another runner on his pace. Swooping down from the steps of the Capitol, he hit his first quarter in about 58 seconds, and held steady through the half- mile in 2 minutes flat. He passed the three-quarter mark in 3:02, needing a 57-second final quarter mile to duck under four minutes an unlikely scenario, with no one to push him. “If someone’s there with you at the finish, you can kick a little more,” Maase said.

Sebastian Villalva didn’t have that problem. “At about the three- fourths mark Paul Perrone cmae up on me,” he said. But Villalva fought off the challenge for second, kicking home in 4:16. Perrone, who has run as fast as 3:58 on the course, settled for third in 4:23. “I was able to hold my form in the last 200 meters from my track experience,” Villalva said.

Hyman, who finished her University of Texas track eligibility last year, where she finished fourth in the NCAAs in the 800 meters with a 2:04 time, , bolted to the front, unchallenged in the women’s race. She blitzed the first fourth in a breakneck 58 seconds, and was at 2:08 at the halfway mark.

The pace began to take its toll as three-fourths passed in 3:22. A 67- second final quarter mile would have brought her home in under 4:30, but Hyman was struggling to hold form across the bridge. Still, unaided by competition, she posted a 4:36, her best mile time. “I was kind of scared trying to go under 4:30,” she said. “It was hard pacing by myself. The last half mile I was just trying to relax. I ended up tightening up.”

Hyman, who has a 1,500-meter best of 4:17, is training for the World Cross Country Championships in March.

In the high school boys division, Brandon Menking posted a 4:19, followed by Thomas Simmons in 4:22 and Josh Lumbley in 4:23.

Kim Heilbrun was alone out front in the women’s masters division, with her 5:11, the fastest women’s over-40 time on the day.

The men’s masters division saw some hard fought battles. Rick Easley of Dallas, the 1995 national 800-meter masters champion, defended his ‘94 Congress Avenue title with a 4:35. Robert Iles and Randall Milstead dueled for third place, with Iles prevailing 4:37 to 4:39.

About 650 runners showed up for the free event, which featured picture-perfect fall weather.

PUBLICATION: Austin American-Statesman
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